SPSC 2011 Assistant Engineer / Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) BPS-17, Engineers Cadre CCE (2011) — English (Including Essay & Précis) Paper

Assistant Engineer / Assistant Executive Engineer (Civil) BPS-17, Engineers Cadre CCE (2011) — English (Including Essay & Précis). Combined Competitive Examination for Engineers Cadre · Thursday 17 March 2011, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm · Max marks 100. Attempt all questions. All questions carry equal marks.

1. 1Write an essay of not more than 150 words on any One of the following topics: (i) Responsibilities of a good citizen. (ii) The Architecture of Moen-jo-Daro. (iii) Independence of Judiciary and Social Justice. (iv) Islam and Terrorism.

2. 2Make a précis of the following passage and give it an appropriate title: Engineers use their knowledge of science, mathematics, logic, economics, and appropriate experience or tacit knowledge to find suitable solutions to a problem. Creating an appropriate mathematical model of a problem allows them to analyze it (sometimes definitively), and to test potential solutions. Usually multiple reasonable solutions exist, so engineers must evaluate the different design choices on their merits and choose the solution that best meets their requirements. Genrich Altshuller, after gathering statistics on a large number of patents, suggested that compromises are at the heart of "low-level" engineering designs, while at a higher level the best design is one which eliminates the core contradiction causing the problem. Engineers typically attempt to predict how well their designs will perform to their specifications prior to full-scale production. They use, among other things: prototypes, scale models, simulations, destructive tests, nondestructive tests, and stress tests. Testing ensures that products will perform as expected. Engineers as professionals take seriously their responsibility to produce designs that will perform as expected and will not cause unintended harm to the public at large. Engineers typically include a factor of safety in their designs to reduce the risk of unexpected failure. However, the greater the safety factor, the less efficient the design may be. The study of failed products is known as forensic engineering, and can help the product designer in evaluating his or her design in the light of real conditions. The discipline is of greatest value after disasters, such as bridge collapses, when careful analysis is needed to establish the cause or causes of the failure.

3. 3Write a letter to any donor agency (USAID) immediately to come for your help as you are an IDP living in flood affected area.

4. 4Do as directed (Choose any ten): (i) Are you travelling to Paris ____ business or ____ holiday? (Choose correct preposition) (A) for (B) on (C) to (D) in (ii) Have you read the article ____ Time magazine ____ Google? (Choose correct set of prepositions) (A) on – on (B) to – on (C) in – on (D) from – on (iii) I stayed ____ the Ritz Hotel ____ my stay in New York. (Choose correct set of prepositions) (A) in – to (B) to – while (C) at – while (D) at – during (iv) After practice, the girl's softball team stated, "We're famished!" Famished means (A) Fatigued (B) Hungry (C) Excited (D) Ready (v) The newborn baby was enamored with the rattle. Enamored means: (A) Fascinated (B) Happy (C) Unsure what to do (D) Aggravated (vi) When having a problem, it is best to dissect the situation then act. Dissect means: (A) Control (B) Discuss (C) Ignore (D) Analyze Choose the correct response for each of the sentences: (vii) If she hadn't told him, he ____. (A) will never find out (B) would have never found out (C) did not find (D) will have found (viii) I ____ this if you hadn't asked me. (A) would never have done (B) didn't do (C) will not do (D) shall be doing (ix) If I ____ about this, I would have told you. (A) know (B) had known (C) knew (D) had been known (x) If they ____ to rest, they would not have been so tired. (A) have stopped (B) had stopped (C) will stop (D) stopped (xi) I ____ that he's 38 years old if he hadn't told me. (A) wouldn't have guessed (B) didn't guess (C) will not guess (D) am guessing Choose the best way to complete these Passive Voice sentences: (xii) The bottle ____. (A) should not being shaken (B) should not been shaken (C) should not been being shaken (D) should not be shaken (xiii) He ____ in a cross fire. (A) was shotted (B) was shot (C) was shoot (D) was be shoting Finish the sentences using appropriate Reported speech. Always change the tense, although it is sometimes not necessary. (xiv) Andrew: "Clean the blue bike!" Andrew told me: (A) that I clean the blue bike (B) To clean the blue bike (C) To have cleaned the blue bike (D) That I cleaned the blue bike (xv) Sabrina: "I met Sabir at the station!" Sabrina told me: (A) that she had met Sabir at the station (B) That he met Sabir at the station (C) That she would meet Sabir at the station (D) That I met Sabir at the station Answers: (i) B – B (on business, on holiday); (ii) C; (iii) D; (iv) B; (v) A; (vi) D; (vii) B; (viii) A; (ix) B; (x) B; (xi) A; (xii) D; (xiii) B; (xiv) B; (xv) A.

5. 5Translate into Urdu or Sindhi: The most remarkable feature of the political life of Arabia before Islam was the total absence of political organization in any form. With the exception of Yemen in the south-west, no part of the Arabian peninsula had any government at any time, and the Arabs never acknowledged any authority other than the authority of the chiefs of their tribes. The authority of the tribal chiefs, however, rested, in most cases, on their character and personality, and was moral rather than political. The modern student of history finds it incredible that the Arabs lived, generation after generation, century after century, without a government of any kind. Since there was no government, there was no law and no order. The only law of the land was lawlessness. In the event a crime was committed, the injured party took law in its own hands, and tried to administer "justice" to the offender. This system led very frequently to acts of horrendous cruelty.